Propane measure still not enacted

Saturday

Apr 5, 2014 at 10:24 PM

Sponsor says legislation would set precedent if another shortage occurs next winter

Tobias Wall OF GATEHOUSE MEDIA ILLINOIS

SPRINGFIELD — Harsh winter conditions prompted officials in January to pledge assistance to low-income families as a propane gas shortage sent prices soaring, but one of those measures has yet to get off the ground.

State Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, introduced legislation aimed at temporarily lifting weight limits for trucks loaded with propane in an effort to increase the state’s supply and in turn lower prices.

His bill was one of a number of steps taken during the propane crisis, including a disaster declaration by Gov. Pat Quinn and opening up additional Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds for families struggling to pay higher heating bills.

McCann last week said the cause for the hold-up has been continued negotiations with the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Department of Transportation and local officials.

According to the legislation, trucks laden with propane weighing more than 80,000 pounds when loaded would no longer have to get permission from IDOT to bring the gas into Illinois. Temporarily removing that administrative step would allow distributors to bring more propane into the state without the red tape.

Those rules are in place so that trucks with heavy loads can be properly routed to roads that can handle them. McCann said some local officials throughout the state worried the extra-heavy trucks would damage rural roads with low weight limits.

McCann said he originally asked IDOT and ISP to set a weight ceiling that would allow trucks with a loaded weight of up to 97,000 pounds to haul propane in the state, but negotiations brought that ceiling down to 90,000 pounds.

The weight restrictions would go back into effect on May 1, according to the bill.

But it’s already April and the bill has made little progress, prompting some to ask whether legislative action at this point is even worth it.

“This will allow us to be proactive instead of reactive,” McCann said, repeating what lawmakers said following the brutal cold snaps that prompted action in the first place.

“It’s not the last time we will see winter. Unfortunately, it will probably not be the last time we see a shortage in (liquefied propane) gas,” he said.

At least now, McCann said, lawmakers will “have something already hammered out and in place.” If there’s another shortage next winter, he said, the foundation for helping families in need will be there.

“Should the winter be worse than normal, and should we have any of these shortages again, this will hopefully keep the prices from spiking by allowing more supply to get into the state more quickly,” McCann said.

If passed, the measures would go into effect upon the declaration of an emergency by the governor.

This past winter’s propane crisis has been described as a “perfect storm.” A late, wet harvest forced farmers to use double and sometimes triple the amount of propane normally needed to dry grain, causing an initial shortage.

The long, cold winter that followed saw homeowners and farmers drawing more heavily on an already taxed supply of the gas, exacerbating the shortage and further driving up prices.

McCann said that in some cases, customers who normally paid about $1.50 per gallon for propane were paying nearly $5 a gallon.

Quinn responded to the crisis by issuing a disaster declaration on Jan. 27.

Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson said Friday that disaster declarations last 30 days. If a disaster persists beyond that, the governor would have to issue a new declaration, but no additional declaration was made in late February.

Calls made to the Illinois Oil and Gas Association regarding current propane supplies and prices were not returned.